"I'll Be Back Before Midnight" Brings Murder to Cortland Rep

Stage murder mysteries are probably the most structured type of popular theater. The conventions are more like rules of the game that can't be broken. The cards are all dealt, and half the fun is seeing how they play out. In "I'll Be Back Before Midnight," now running at Cortland Repertory Theatre, all the trappings of the classic murder mystery are there in spades.

In "Midnight," a young couple has rented the requisite "old dark house,'" this time a decrepit farmhouse five miles from the nearest town. The husband, Greg (James Bowen), an academic who studies the construction of ancient stone weapons, has chosen the place as an ideal spot for his fragile wife (Melissa McCloud-Herion) to convalesce after a stay in a mental hospital. He's also invited his sexy step-sister (Charlotte Kate Fox), who has somehow precipitated the wife's breakdown, to join them. The only neighbor is George, the strange old farmer with a cackling laugh (William Coughlin) who owns the place. There's a shotgun mounted on the wall. And the house is rumored to be haunted. So what could possibly go wrong? Plenty goes wrong in all the familiar ways.

"I'll Be Back Before Midnight," by Canadian playwright Peter Colley, is billed as a thriller comedy. Although it's a little light on the laughs, there's plenty of amusement to be had in the familiarity of the whole thing. In fact, seeing this show is a little like playing a favorite old phonograph record and affectionately anticipating every little scratch and pop. Did I mention there are also several old phonograph records in the show?

Act one is heavy on exposition, and we can hear the gears of the plot squeak into place. Jan, the freaked out wife, played by Herion with a fidgety resolve, races around the room while nerdy Greg fiddles with his Flintstone style axes, cuddles with his step-sister, and works out in short shorts and a wife beater. Laura, the step-sister slinks about insinuating that Jan is still in need of a little time-out in the hospital. George cackles. CRT favorite Coughlin may have the best cackle in Central New York.

Happily, act two is action-packed, and under the direction of Dustin Charles, Herion and Bowen creates some really tension-filled moments. Though some action sequences are a little bit labored, there are a couple of genuine jump out of your seat moments.

Murder mysteries are a staple for Cortland Repertory Theatre, and they know how to mount them. "Midnight's" scenic design by Cully Long, lighting design by Greg Solomon, and the rustic theater itself create just the right atmosphere. Granted, "I'll Be Back Before Midnight" has more than its share of illogical moments. Characters may be a little flat. The corpse-strewn ending may be predictable (conventions, remember?), but like the trip scenic trip out to Cortland Repertory Theater, getting there is half the fun.

The Details
What: "I'll Be Home Before Midnight" presented by Cortland Repertory Theater
When seen: Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Where: Little York Pavilion, Dwyer Park, Little York Lake Road, Preble
Length: 2 hours with intermission
Performs through: September 7
Attendance: about 200
Family guide: a couple of mild expletives and a little sexual innuendo that children won't get. May be of interest to teens.
Information: (607)756-2627 or (800)427-6160 www.cortlandrep.org